Document Detail


New federal policy initiatives to boost health literacy can help the nation move beyond the cycle of costly 'crisis care'.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  22262723     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Health literacy is the capacity to understand basic health information and make appropriate health decisions. Tens of millions of Americans have limited health literacy--a fact that poses major challenges for the delivery of high-quality care. Despite its importance, health literacy has until recently been relegated to the sidelines of health care improvement efforts aimed at increasing access, improving quality, and better managing costs. Recent federal policy initiatives, including the Affordable Care Act of 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services' National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, and the Plain Writing Act of 2010, have brought health literacy to a tipping point-that is, poised to make the transition from the margins to the mainstream. If public and private organizations make it a priority to become health literate, the nation's health literacy can be advanced to the point at which it will play a major role in improving health care and health for all Americans.
Authors:
Howard K Koh; Donald M Berwick; Carolyn M Clancy; Cynthia Baur; Cindy Brach; Linda M Harris; Eileen G Zerhusen
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2012-01-18
Journal Detail:
Title:  Health affairs (Project Hope)     Volume:  31     ISSN:  1544-5208     ISO Abbreviation:  Health Aff (Millwood)     Publication Date:  2012 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2012-02-10     Completed Date:  2012-06-04     Revised Date:  2012-06-18    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8303128     Medline TA:  Health Aff (Millwood)     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  434-43     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, DC, USA. Howard.Koh@HHS.gov
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Cost Control
Emergency Medical Services / economics*,  utilization*
Health Literacy*
Health Policy*
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Quality of Health Care
United States
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Health Aff (Millwood). 2012 May;31(5):1128   [PMID:  22566460 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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